Eagles Hold 'Recipe' For Cultivating QB Talent, Says Analyst

It's not just Jalen Hurts. What the Philadelphia Eagles have done with quarterbacks dating back to the 1999 NFL Draft has made Philly arguably the model organization when it comes to developing the position.

In the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb. 

From that point forward, says NFL.com's Bucky Brooks, the Eagles have been the example of how to develop the quarterback position, one that every team in the league should be looking to emulate.

"The Eagles have received positive play from the position for a quarter century," Brooks said. “With Philly's offensive reins held by signal-callers like McNabb, Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Carson Wentz and now Hurts, the Eagles have been consistent playoff/title contenders due to the organization's ability to cultivate quarterbacks into difference-making starters or valuable trade commodities."

McNabb led Philadelphia for 11 seasons, earning 92 wins and throwing more than double his interception total (100) in touchdowns. 

Vick sought career rejuvenation with the franchise and spent five years with the team, starting 42 games in that span while earning a Pro Bowl selection.

Foles and Wentz combined to lead the Eagles to the first Super Bowl Championship in franchise history, and Hurts is coming off a season where he was an NFL MVP candidate and led his team to the title fight.

All of this has brought Brooks to the realization that Philadelphia develops quarterbacks better than any other team in the league. 

"If I am a QB-needy team prepping for the 2023 NFL Draft, I'm asking the Philadelphia Eagles to share the franchise's recipe for the game's most important position," Brooks said. “Having just watched Jalen Hurts ... The 2020 second-round pick's ascension to the ranks of the quarterbacking elite is the latest example of Philadelphia's identification-and-development model producing another blue-chip player for the franchise." 

Fortunately for Eagles fans, even if other teams come calling, it's highly unlikely anyone inside the building would be willing to share the secret.

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Find David on Twitter @DHarrison82

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